Op-Ed: Gay rights advance in Senate

The nation appears hurtling toward a world where fundamentalists will be out the outliers.
On Monday night, the Senate began consideration of a bill to grant workplace rights to persons of all sexual persuasions.

The Senate's side of the Capitol Building in DC.

Wikimedia- scrumshus

It took a handful of Republicans to block a filibuster, and they had to do it in public.

The Washington Post said it was the first time the issue would be considered since proponents failed to get it passed 17 years ago.

Back in the day, Colorado voters passed a referendum denying towns the right to grant equal rights to gays.

The tourism business faced an immediate boycott, but a court ruling blocked the referendum from taking effect.

Now, in a bluer Colorado, gays have the right to civil unions, and they can even smoke a joint legally.

Of course before the feds pass such a law, the Republican-controlled House will have to come on board. House Speaker John Boehner has already said he won’t, guaranteeing the Republican party will be even more out of step with the country.

The bill is called the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

For those who don’t get the message it is worth noting that the only Republicans to speak on the bill in the Senate supported it: Senators Mark Kirk (R-Ill), Joining Kirk, Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Dean Heller (R-Nev.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Patrick Toomey. (R-Pa.)

“If you’ve been told your entire career that Republican primary voters are hostile on these issues, and people have only just started to educate you otherwise. It takes a little while for that to sink in,” Jeff Cook-McCormac, a Republican lobbyist pushing the bill told the New York Times.

"The Speaker believes this legislation will increase frivolous litigation and cost American jobs, especially small business jobs," Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said in a statement.